Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

TELECOMMUNICATIONS (CONSUMER PROTECTION AND SERVICE STANDARDS) ACT 1999 - SECT 13

  (1)   The policy objectives of this Division are:

  (a)   that standard telephone services are to:

  (i)   be reasonably accessible to all people in Australia on an equitable basis, wherever they reside or carry on business; and

  (ii)   be supplied to people in Australia on request; and

  (b)   that payphones are to:

  (i)   be reasonably accessible to all people in Australia on an equitable basis, wherever they reside or carry on business; and

  (ii)   be supplied, installed and maintained in Australia; and

  (c)   that end - users of standard telephone services in Australia are to have access, free of charge, to an emergency call service; and

  (d)   that the National Relay Service is to be reasonably accessible to all persons in Australia who:

  (i)   are deaf; or

  (ii)   have a hearing and/or speech impairment;

    wherever they reside or carry on business; and

  (e)   that there are to be such:

  (i)   customer information programs; and

  (ii)   customer cabling installation programs; and

  (iii)   carriage service development programs; and

  (iv)   other measures (if any) as are specified in the regulations;

    as are necessary to support the continuity of supply of carriage services during the transition to the national broadband network; and

  (f)   that all persons in Australia outside a standard zone are to have access to untimed voice calls on a basis that is comparable to the access provided to persons in standard zones for voice calls made:

  (i)   using a standard telephone service; or

  (ii)   using a payphone; and

  (g)   that all persons in Australia outside a standard zone are to have access to untimed data calls on a basis that is comparable to the access provided to persons in standard zones for data calls made to an internet service provider using a data network access number; and

  (h)   that an SMS relay service is reasonably accessible to all persons in Australia who:

  (i)   are deaf; or

  (ii)   have a hearing and/or speech impairment; and

  (i)   that a video relay service is reasonably accessible to all persons in Australia who communicate in Auslan; and

  (j)   that a software application is reasonably available to assist all users of the National Relay Service in communication with emergency call services; and

  (k)   the objectives (if any) specified in the regulations, where those objectives relate to the supply of carriage services.

  (2)   For the purposes of paragraphs   (1)(f) and (g), standard zone has the meaning given by section   108.